Kingdom First (1)

MATTHEW 6:33

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Jesus says in Matthew 6:33, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Although its meaning seems straightforward, this verse is often incorrectly understood and practiced. Thus many people might think that they are doers of the word when they are merely hearers of the word (James 1:22).

Sometimes we think that we have already done what is required of us, and feel good about ourselves for it, just because we agree with what we have heard from God's word. Sometimes we misunderstand a verse as demanding something lower than what it does, and thus we think that we have satisfied its requirements when this is not the case. Or, sometimes when we fail to satisfy even this lower standard, we will just say to ourselves, "That's close enough." The result is that, in all these instances, we are performing far below what God's word actually demands of us, and enjoying far less of the life and power that he has promised us.

In what follows, we will consider some of the ways that people have distorted and disobeyed this verse. Then, we will also consider the correct understanding of this verse as well as some of its implications.

First, there are those who exhibit blatant and unabashed disobedience; they explicitly make wealth their object of pursuit.¹ Of course, this characterizes only unbelievers, and if it characterizes your life, then you are an unbeliever, still headed for everlasting suffering in hell.

Unbelievers are accustomed to doing the very opposite of what God's word commands (v. 32). All of their thinking reflects the fact that they love "Money" and despise God (v. 24). Their typical goal in life is to attain financial riches and security. This often leads to an emphasis on the means to attaining this goal, such as worldly education and business relationships.

We expect this approach to life from unbelievers, but many professing Christians are no better. They would often admonish their children to focus on school work, but they do not demonstrate the same level of urgency when speaking to them about church work. They tell their children to study hard so that they will get good grades, get into good schools and colleges, and eventually get good jobs and salaries. But their agenda is not nearly as specific and ambitious when it comes to their children's theological studies and future in ministry.

This is because the kingdom is not first with them. Whether explicitly or implicitly, whether by instruction or by example, they instill in their children the idea that the highest goal in life is financial security, rather than to know God and to work for his cause. Of course, those who teach this to their children are already practicing the same themselves. This is unacceptable, and unbecoming to those who profess the faith. The problem is so serious that it is to be harshly condemned.

¹ By "wealth," we are not necessarily referring to great prosperity, but to food, clothing, money, and material things in general.

(to be continued)

Recommended:

Vincent Cheung, The Sermon on the Mount

Benjamin B. Warfield, "This- and Other-Worldliness," in Faith and Life